Weather across the nation: 3/3/13

A mix of rain and snow spread across the West and into the Northern Plains on Sunday, while scattered snow showers developed from the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys through the Northeast.

In the West, rain and high elevation snow with periods of strong wind continued from California through the Northern Rockies as a low pressure system reached across the Northern Rocky Mountains and the Northern High Plains.

Snowfall accumulation remained less than 6 inches with snow levels around 6,000 feet, while strong wind gusts up to 60 mph were possible at highest mountain passes. A warm front associated with this system reached ahead of the low and across the Northern Plains with chances of snow showers.

Winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings have been issued for areas from the Northern Rockies through the Northern Plains as snow totals of 3 to 6 inches were anticipated through the day, with isolated amounts up to 9 inches in North Dakota. In addition to rain and snow, strong winds developed along the leading edge of this system with gusts from 40 to 50 mph possible for the Northern and Central High Plains.

Meanwhile in the East, bands of light snow fell across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys and the Central Appalachians through Sunday morning and early afternoon, while snow showers and lake effect snow developed downwind of the Lower Great Lakes and Northeast.

ON THIS DATE....... A violent F5 tornado moved through Jackson, Miss., on this date in 1966, killing 57 people. A dozen of the fatalities occurred as the tornado virtually destroyed a shopping center. Nearly 1,000 homes were destroyed and the damage from the storm was set at $18 million.